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skyflower

false fiddleleaf

Habit Herbs, erect, to 6 dm, unbranched or with short reproductive branches. Herbs or small shrubs, usually perennial.
Stems

green, brown, or purple, densely pubescent, without glandular trichomes;

thorns rare, 1 per node or absent, 4–11 × 0.2–0.6 mm.

green, brown, or purple, glabrous or hispid-hirsute, with or without glandular trichomes or long, jointed hairs;

thorns occasionally bearing small leaves toward tips.

Leaf

blades lanceolate, 2–5.5 × 0.3–1 cm, base acute to rounded, margins serrulate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

blades ovate, lanceolate, or linear, occasionally orbiculate, pinnately veined, base attenuate, acute, round, or obtuse, margins entire or serrulate, often undulate, apex acuminate to acute, surfaces glabrous or densely pubescent, sometimes gland-dotted, with or without glandular trichomes or long, jointed hairs, occasionally pubescent only along main veins.

Inflorescences

terminal, leafy panicles or corymbs, 15–30-flowered.

terminal or axillary, pedunculate, highly branched or unbranched.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, 4.5–7 × 1–2 mm, hispid-hirsute, with glandular trichomes;

corolla blue, petals 10–15 × 5–8 mm;

ovary glabrous or puberulent, upper 1/2 often with glandular trichomes;

styles 2, 5–10 mm, glandular-pubescent toward bases.

sepals lanceolate or ovate, margins entire, surfaces glabrous or hispid-hirsute, with or without glandular trichomes or long, jointed hairs;

corolla blue or white, campanulate;

anthers pale pink, white, or blue;

filaments white or blue, abruptly dilated at base, glabrous;

pollen white or yellow;

ovary green or blue, globose or subglobose, proximal 1/2 glabrous, distal 1/2 glabrous, puberulent, or glandular-pubescent;

styles white, brown, or blue, often curved inward to summits, glabrous, puberulent, or glandular-pubescent (especially at base);

stigmas funnelform.

Capsules

globose to slightly ovoid, 3–4.5 × 2.5–4 mm, upper 1/2 puberulent or glandular-pubescent.

brown or purple, globose or ovoid, occasionally truncated at style bases, 3–7 × 2.5–7 mm, proximal 1/2 glabrous, distal 1/2 glabrous, puberulent, or glandular-pubescent.

Seeds

broadly ovoid, symmetric, 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm.

tan to dark brown, ovoid to cylindric, symmetric or occasionally asymmetric, 0.4–0.7 × 0.2–0.4 mm.

Hydrolea corymbosa

Hydrolea

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Wet roadsides and ditches.
Elevation 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
e United States; sc United States; Mexico; Central America; South America; s Asia; se Asia; Africa; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar); Pacific Islands (Philippines); n Australia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hydrolea corymbosa is morphologically very similar to the more western H. ovata, sharing the paniculate or corymbose type of inflorescence and similar stem and sepal pubescence. However, H. corymbosa is a much smaller and more slender plant with fewer (if any) thorns, stems that are dark brown or purple, and lanceolate leaves.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species 11 (5 in the flora).

Species in the flora area are placed in Hydrolea sect. Hydrolea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Inflorescences axillary fascicles.
→ 2
2. Stems and sepals with long, jointed hairs.
H. quadrivalvis
2. Stems and sepals without long, jointed hairs.
H. uniflora
1. Inflorescences terminal corymbs or leafy panicles.
→ 3
3. Stems pubescent or hispid-hirsute, usually densely covered with glandular trichomes, occasionally glabrous.
H. spinosa
3. Stems pubescent, sometimes with few glandular trichomes.
→ 4
4. Leaf blades ovate, 1–2.5 cm wide, margins entire, surfaces pubescent; styles 10–15 mm.
H. ovata
4. Leaf blades lanceolate, 0.3–1 cm wide, margins serrulate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent; styles 5–10 mm.
H. corymbosa
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Hydroleaceae > Hydrolea Hydroleaceae
Sibling taxa
H. ovata, H. quadrivalvis, H. spinosa, H. uniflora
Subordinate taxa
H. corymbosa, H. ovata, H. quadrivalvis, H. spinosa, H. uniflora
Synonyms Nama corymbosa
Name authority J. Macbride ex Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 336. (1817) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1: 328. (1762) — name conserved: Gen. Pl. ed. 6, 124. (1764) — name conserved
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